


Sweeten My Heart

by Cheeriobeads



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Apartment AU, Armin works all the time, Cat!Mikasa, Eren is a little cutie who likes to bake to destress, F/F, Fem!Eren, Fem!Levi, a couple of gay babies, f/f - Freeform, i read one the other day and I died, i really wanted to write a fem levi and fem even fic ok, it was so amazing i wanted to try
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-27 17:58:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14431065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheeriobeads/pseuds/Cheeriobeads
Summary: Eren loves to bake, especially when she's stressed. She finds out she's getting a new neighbour.Levi is a tattoo artist whose just found the perfect apartment.The walls are thin, so what happens when Levi overhears her neighbour sobbing in the shower?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I'm back! I suddenly got back in to reading fanfic after a long long time away. I got so busy with life. This AU has been swimming around in my head and I couldn't get it out so I thought I'd try and put it into words. Unfortunately, my writing is mostly focused on academic works and as a result, my creative juices are very very backed up to say the least! Please enjoy and be gentle with me! 
> 
> xoxo

Eren hummed softly while she mixed the ingredients together. Matcha powder, just a sprinkle, a splash of milk, an egg, and mix. Baking had always been something she loved to do. During the busy semester of her business degree, she relieved stress with baked goods. Something about the mixing together of simple ingredients and watching something come out of the oven gave some semblance of control back to the frazzled brunette. Other than baking, she also love to cook, but baking was her favourite in terms of its therapeutic effect. Funny thing was, she rarely liked to eat the things she made and made it a point to load them on to her friends. God knew Armin needed it. He was on his rotation for med school, and barely even had time to sleep, let alone make his own food. Eren smiled at the thought of her brainy, soft spoken, yet caring best friend.

She quickly scooped the green tinged dough from the mixing bowl, and began to use her rolling pin to thin out the round mass. Wiping off some flour she managed to get on her nose, she heaved a sigh and went to work. A short 25 minutes later, a soft ding cut through the silence of the apartment and Eren started, nearly dropping her book and bumping her knee on the coffee table. She cursed as the disturbance sloshed the tea in her cup and caused some to spill out. Extending her pajama clad legs, she padded over to the oven to inspect her work. Beautiful little cookies greeted her. Light and dark green swirled around and around while steam arose from the oven and the smell of freshly baked goods permeated the air. After grabbing her oven mitts and setting out all her cookies to cool on a cooling rack, Eren was displeased to find her tea lukewarm at best. Scowling, she picked up the cup and decided to microwave it for the million and 1st time that day.

It had always been her dream to own a bakery. She knew that owning a bakery while being in school was not feasible, yet she wanted to prove herself. A hobby that had started out as a way to maintain control and reduce anxiety around exam times became something so much more important to the young brunette. Starting a business had not been easy. Finding the perfect location, buying the equipment, getting responsible and quality suppliers, and creating the perfect menu had taken way longer than the brunette expected. But it was all worth it. The Little Titan bakery was finally opened a year ago, and had taken off after that. The townsfolk rallied around the whimsical cute baked goods that Eren made, and once word got around that Eren was willing to take special requests, the menu she had worked so hard on suddenly became obsolete. Everyone had their own requests.  
"I'm lactose intolerant, can you make something for me with lactose free milk?"  
"I'm vegan, but I also have a nut allergy. Can you accommodate me?"  
"I love super sour tarts but no one makes them sour enough! Can you help?"  
Eren loved taking requests as it helped fuel her creativity. It definitely did not hurt the business as loyal customers came flocking daily to see what Eren had managed to whip up this time. The shop had gotten so busy that Eren had to hire Annie to come in and help out with the lines.

Eren loved every minute of it. Taking a matcha cookie off the rack, she bit into it and grinned as the earthy flavour exploded in her mouth along with the telltale crumble of a butter cookie. It was perfect. Not too sweet, but full of flavour. Perfect for her more elderly or sugar conscious customers. Satisfied with her trial, Eren was just about to sit back down to continue reading her novel when a loud cough was heard outside her door. Padding over to the door, Eren hesitantly peeked out through the peephole and saw Erwin, the landlord, ushering someone into the apartment next door. _Good for him!_ Eren thought, _finally rented this place out!_

A buzzing in her pocket jolted Eren out of her internal congratulatory session towards Erwin. Without even looking down at the caller ID, the tall lanky brunette already knew who was calling. "Hi Ar!", she grinned as she spoke. "How's the rotation treating ya?"  
A tired yet happy sigh was heard on the other end of the line as Armin proceeded to tell the brunette about his day while describing in detail how many times he had been puked on.  
"Don't worry Ar," Ern giggled, "I have a whole baggie of cookies for you to pick up later. Come grab them later when you swing by! They'll cheer you up"  
The duo chatted on the phone for a little while longer before Armin's tired voice muttered  
"Alright Eren, I'm downstairs, the bluetooth will turn off soon. I'm coming up!" Armin's voice was getting softer before he even hung up, a yawn muffling his words.

Not even a full minute later, a soft rapping at the door caused Eren to break out into a happy smile. Grabbing the bag of cookies she bagged for Armin, she walked over and unlocked the door to reveal her best friend. He smiled happily up at her despite the dark circles under his eyes as the light but unmistakeable smell of the hospital wafted into Eren's nose.

"Thanks Eren," Armin sighed," you always make me the best goodies to cheer me up after a long day." As the short blonde said this, his legs shook and his eyes blinked wearily, finally off the adrenaline from his shift at the hospital and the weariness setting in. He blinked as Eren ushered him to another door just down the hall and barely even registered the brunette's fussing as she dug around in his pocket for his house keys. The pair were lucky to have found vacant one bedroom apartments virtually next door to each other a couple years ago, and have lived as almost neighbours ever since. A sweet old lady named Rose lived next to Armin, and her cat, Mikasa, loved the two friends dearly. However, Eren was her favourite. If the brunette was home, Mikasa would be curled up on the couch or basking in the sun next to Eren's window.

As she ushered her friend into his apartment and put him to bed, Eren couldn’t help but peek at the corner unit. She had always wanted a neighbor. Armin had Rose living next door to him while all Eren had was a janitors closet and an empty unit to call neighbors. There were shuffling and sliding sounds coming from said unit now, undoubtedly the result of unpacking and decorating the space. _Would this new neighbor be nice and easy to get along with?_ Eren mused, _who were they? And most importantly, what can I bake for them as a welcome gift?_


	2. Flurry of Blonde and Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi POV!  
> She meets her neighbour?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Hope you enjoy. It's a short chapter today, sorry! I will try to update as much as I can, but alas I am working now that finals are over and have other things to study for as well. I promise to try my very best! Hope you enjoy this lil Levi POV and get a little insight into her life!

Levi sighed as she ran her hands through her hair. Her onyx black hair was swept to one side along the top, but [trimmed short](http://vegnews.com/web/uploads/asset/11399/file/VegNewsRubyRose5.png) against the side. She liked to look edgy as it complimented her steely grey eyes and constant scowl. Levi had been steadily unpacking her boxes for the better part of the day now. She had moved in only yesterday, and as it was getting late by the time the landlord ushered her in to the unit, she opted to sleep on her sofa rather than set up her bed for fear of disturbing the neighbors. She was crass and upfront, but by no means a complete jerk, contrary to popular belief.

She had taken care to wake up early and now, looking across the apartment, she huffed a short sigh as she took it all in. Everything had its place, and every place had a thing. Just the way she liked it. Small cacti decorated the shelves while on the kitchen counter, a kettle, her favourite teacup and some jars of tea leaves were nestled in the corner. Across the living space, a simple grey sofa was sat atop a sinfully soft rug that led all the way to the TV shelf. In the bedroom, a nightstand with a simple alarm clock, and a modest, no fuss no frill queen sized bed dominated the space. It had taken about 4 different realtors and more units than she could count before she found this little gem. Nestled away in a quiet neighbourhood, it was close to everything Levi needed. The hospital was nearby, some grocery stores, her parlour, and a nice little coffee shop that didn’t actually serve weak ass coffee. It was as perfect.

Heaving a sigh, Levi dusted off her hands again. Last box! As she opened the box, she let out a rare grin as she realized what was inside. Picking up a black, leather wrapped sketchbook and the dog eared pencil tucked neatly next to it, Levi flopped down on her sofa without unpacking the rest of the contents of the box. That could wait.

As she opened the notebook, she sighed, looking at her latest creations. Intricate flower designs covered the pages. Some small and delicate, some large and commanding of attention. Her favourite was a small sprig of lavender. She had been thinking back to what her manager, Hanji had said about her work. "Levi! Darling, your work is amazing. You could be booked for years if you just opened more slots! As your manager, we cannot have you creating such beauty and refusing to tattoo paying customers! Levi shook her head at the memory. It wasn't that she hated tattooing people…she just didn’t think they appreciated it. She had toiled over each design and had in mind her perfect client, and the perfect spot the tattoo would reside. All her clients wanted was their girlfriend/boyfriends name written across their heart or vulgar images on their back. No. Her tattoos had meaning and emotion.

Sitting up and stretching out her ripped skinny jean clad legs, Levi was pleasantly surprised when she looked down and another delicate [flower](https://www.pinterest.ca/offsite/?token=797-638&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FBDx8tjksGyc%2F&pin=154459462199487546&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDE1MjU5MDk0NjUxNgA~0) design joined the others on the page. Not realizing she had been in thought for so long Levi didn’t even notice how the setting sun that shone its orange rays through the window had warmed the space, making it feel like, for the first time in her life, home.

That evening, after whipping out a pack of her favourite double spicy hot chicken instant ramen and dousing it with hot water from her kettle before guzzling it with vigour, Levi decided a walk around the neighbourhood was in order. As she let herself out of the apartment, she bumped her shoulder right into a blonde, who was letting himself out of the apartment next door at the same time. Only slightly annoyed, Levi decided it was now or never to meet her neighbor.

Extending a hand and attempting to adjust her usual scowl into something a tiny bit more friendly, she faced the blonde and spoke. "Nice to meet you neighbour, my name's Levi." Spluttering, the blond was shaking his one free hand in the air while shaking his head, causing his blonde bangs to get in this eyes. As he swept them out of the way, he grinned at the steely grey eyes that stared at him in confusion. "Nice to meet you Levi, I'm Armin. Unfortunately, I'm actually not your neighbor. I live down there, see?" Following the finger that Armin was pointing, Levi saw the door to another unit slightly ajar. "I just broke in to Eren's apartment to steal some more cookies! She made them yesterday and man are they good!" explained Armin, gesturing to the small mountain of green swirled cookies he held in his hand. "Alright, nice to meet you Levi, sorry to be rude, I have to run to work! I have the night shift soon at the hospital! Nice to meet you!" In a flurry of cookies and blonde hair, the spirited young man had already ran into his apartment and shut the door.

Groaning, Levi ran a hand through her hair again. _Great. Now I have to introduce myself again. Eren huh? Armin said "she", interesting. She's probably a brat._

 

 

 

*Author here! In case there was some confusion, the layouts of the apartments look like this!*

                                                      Levi's Unit

                                                                      Eren's Unit

Mikasa + Rose's Unit   Armin's Unit    Janitors Closet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, shucks. Levi didn't get to meet her neighbour. Bummer!  
> 


	3. You Think I'm Trying To Do What???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even finally works up the courage to confront her neighbour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK DISCLAIMER! I have nothing against people who come to your door and try to convert you. It's just that last time, this woman would not leave me alone! She tried to barge into my house and invited herself to a cup of coffee while shoving pamphlets about the Lord's word at me and she only left when I managed to admit to her that I was a raging bisexual. Please don't take offence! I just wanted to tie some of my own experiences in! :)

As soon as Eren entered her apartment after a long day at the Little Titan, she knew that someone had been there. She admittedly wasn't the most perceptive person in the world but with the mess Armin left on her counter, anyone would've been able tell.

Clearing up the empty plate and scattered crumbs on her countertop, she smiled, shaking her head. Armin was always the more neat and tidy one, but every since his hospital shifts started, his mind had been elsewhere. He lived and breathed that job and if it wasn’t for her setting aside food for him, she knew her blonde friend would either starve or work himself to death.

She was carrying cinnamon buns, carefully set aside from hungry café goers. It had been a couple days since she first saw Erwin ushering in her neighbour, and ever since Armin pulled her aside and told her "Oh my GOD have you met her yet Eren? She's so cute and totally your type!", admittedly, she was curious. Who was this supposedly cute brooding neighbour next door? Eren snorted, she could still remember the eyebrow waggle Armin had given her when he said that.

Please. She was a happy bisexual who happened to be in a heterosexual relationship at the moment. At least, that’s what she told herself. Her and Jean had never been the best couple. Sure they had mind-blowing sex whenever they fought, but honestly, they had little to no connection otherwise, and frankly, she didn't know what direction their relationship was going anymore.

She sighed, _maybe I'll just stick to baking. Cookies will never do me wrong._ Oh! Cookies! That reminded her. Eren quickly walked to the bathroom. Giving herself a once over and brushing off some flour that somehow found itself caked to her ear _how the HECK did that even get there?_ , she deemed herself as good as it was going to get.

Today was the day! She was going to meet her neighbour. Ever since she was little, she had seen movies where people went to their neighbour to borrow sugar or flour. She never quite had that growing up. With her parents all the way in Germany tied up in their own careers, she rarely got to see them. Their home was always isolated, their closest neighbours being miles away. All she wanted was to bake her neighbour something and introduce herself, and who knows, maybe make a friend.

Picking up her package of cinnamon buns off the counter where she tossed them, she quickly walked out of her apartment, determined to follow through with her mission before her brain convinced her to abort. 5 minutes later, she found herself pacing outside her neighbours door. _What if she's asleep already? Stop it Eren, it's not that late, you can DO THIS!_ Finally finding the courage, she gingerly knocked on the door, and for some god forsaken reason, she decided to hide the bag of cinnamon buns behind her back, as if she were going to surprise her neighbour with her creations.

If her thoughts were going a mile a minute, her heartbeat must've been faster than the speed of light because not a moment later, steely grey eyes and a gorgeously angular face complimented by a _oh_ _god sexy as fuck_ haircut swung the door open.

"I'm a lesbian. Not interested in anything from you thanks."

Oh god. Eren nearly melted. Even her voice was beautiful. Is that even possible? Her voice was like chocolate, and god Eren could just imagine it pouring it all ove- wait. What the heck did she just say?

Not even giving her a second to protest, the door shut with a slam, nearly clipping poor Eren's nose.

The surprise Eren was feeling suddenly morphed into anger. _What the hell? Who does she think she is. Wait. Did she say…lesbian? Oh god._ Suddenly, Eren started sweating. Profusely.

Reining in her thoughts and redirecting her anger, she knocked on the door again. Harder this time. The door again, swung open quickly after soft muffled footsteps were heard.

"Look, I already told you. I'm a lesbian. Not interested in hearing the word of the lord today, thank you."

"Just a minute you!" Eren spluttered, desperate to get a word in before the door shaved off her nose again. "You think…you think I'm trying to convert you?"

"What else would you be trying to do? They always send the cute ones to convert people" the onyx haired beauty replied.

"Ok, for your information, I am NOT interested in converting anyone. My name is Eren." she explained, "I'm your goddamn neighbour, and was just trying to be NICE. I brought you some cinnamon buns that I made, and for your information, I had to save these from hungry customers who actually WANTED and would've PAID for them."

Eren was rambling and she knew it. She always did when she was nervous or mad, and god now that she was both nervous and mad, she was going about a mile a minute. Shoving the package at the woman who was now looking up at her with less aggressive, but still cold eyes, Eren glared back.

"All I've wanted was to meet a neighbour and give them a nice home baked gift. Thanks for ruining it for me you jerk. I hope you choke on those!" Spinning on her heels, Eren rushed into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. She was so mad she completely disregarded the fact that the mystery neighbour had called her cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think? The meeting you expected?


	4. Toe stubbing and Cinnamon Bun Eating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK  
> I know I know I am trash for saying I would not ditch this fic and then turning around and ditching it for ages.  
> I will try to do better! For those of you still with me, lets get Levi's POV on that interaction from Chpt 3! 
> 
> Poor baby, she's just tired and grumpy. Can you blame her?

"And then he said that he never loved me, can you believe that?!"  
Levi heaved a sigh. She had been in sessions all day, and as her luck would have it, her last client was, she shuddered, a chatterbox. Cutting her still rambling client off with a curt "ma'am", Levi wiped her hands off and wrapped her client's arm up with some cling film. Handing her a pamphlet on tattoo aftercare, Levi quickly excused herself with a nod, stopping only to mutter, "settle at the front desk with Hanji. Thanks". 

Before her client even had time to react, the onyx haired woman had already turned and walked through the swinging black doors labelled "Staff only" at the back of the store. 

After scrubbing her hands three times with soap and water, Levi was finally satisfied. Gathering her things from her locker, a small black backpack with her keys, she heaved another sigh before once again pushing past the black swinging doors only to run smack into Hanji, who was grinning from ear to ear. 

"LEEEVIII!! My darling!" Ms. Williams LOVED your work! She wants to book you again next month to get that tattoo of her husband's name covered up!" 

A grunt was the only answer Hanji received before the light twinkling of bells signalled that the young woman was already long gone. 

Levi rubbed her temples as she walked home. She had stubbed her toe on the corner of her bed this morning, and gotten her favourite jacket dirty with toothpaste before she had even left the house. Not only that, she had forgotten her thermos at home that day, along with the coffee that was in it. Dehydration and stress from the move had her nursing a doozy of a headache. She was in no mood for fun and games. Trudging up the stairs to her apartment, she vowed to never forget her drink again. After a brief struggle with her keys, an exhausted and irritable Levi all but face planted onto her bed. Of course, she would never get into bed in her disgusting shop clothes. She was after all, still a lady. Wrinkling her nose, Levi quickly padded into her bathroom for a quick shower before she settled down to decide on what to have for dinner that night. 

Deciding on her usual, double spicy chicken flavoured noodle as if she had anything else to eat in the fridge, Levi was just about to put the flavour pack into boiling water when she hear a soft knock at her door. Growling in irritation, she stomped over to her door, stubbing her toe for the second time that day on the wall in the process. Cursing under her breath, she limped over to the door and looked through the peephole to see a tall brunette in the hallway, hands behind their back looking around anxiously. 

With another pang of her headache hitting and her stomach growling angrily, Levi was in no mood. Swinging the door open angrily, she gave the brunette no chance to introduce herself. 

"I'm a lesbian. Not interested in anything from you thanks."

Shutting the door quickly, Levi just about returned to her kitchen before knocking was heard again. This time louder. 

Groaning and walking back to her door, she again swung the door open angrily before glaring into the eyes of the person who dared bother her not once, but twice on an already less than stellar day. 

"Look, I already told you. I'm a lesbian. Not interested in hearing the word of the Lord today, thank you."

'Just a minute you!" The brunette in the hallway spluttered, eyes losing their shine and gaining a fiery heat as her eyebrows knitted in anger. 

Before she knew it, Levi was clutching a baking tin, heavy with something that smelled like a heavenly mixture of cinnamon and icing. 

"I hope you choke on those!" 

A flurry of flour and cinnamon trailed after the brunette who, by now, was already halfway down the hall. Swinging the door open, all Levi could do was watch as her neighbor glared at her once more before slamming her own door shut. 

Great. She had met her neighbour, and within 30 seconds had told disclosed that she was a lesbian, called her neighbour cute, and insulted her. It had to be some sort of new record. 

Closing her door, Levi placed the tin on her table before padding back to the stove to discover her water had boiled over, and was currently in the process of sizzling all over her cooktop. Scowling, she turned off the stove before gingerly mopping up the water up with a damp cloth. As her stomach growled once more, Levi turned to the tin. Well, since her noodle plans were ruined, she might as well try these damn cinnamon buns. 

15 minutes and 2.5 buns later, Levi rubbed her stomach. Her stomach said no but her mouth said yes. These cinnamon buns were so good. So soft on the inside yet crunchy on the edges. So fragrant yet not overpowering. The icing was thick yet not too sweet. These had to be the best cinnamon buns Levi had ever had. Dammit, they were the best thing Levi had ever had. 

Tearing herself away from them after allowing herself one last mouthful, she smiled. Finally, her day was looking up. Sure, she just had cinnamon buns for dinner, but hey, she was an adult and can as she damn well pleased. Plus, they were delicious. 

Transferring the rest of the cinnamon buns out onto a plate, Levi hummed absentmindedly to herself as she washed the tin. 

Tomorrow was the day. She finally had a day off, and was planning on finishing fixing up her home and go grocery shopping. Change of plans. She would go and apologize to her neighbour. Her awfully cute and insanely talented neighbour. 

Levi sighed again as she placed the now squeaky clean tin on her drying rack and mused.  
Eren eh? Hm, not bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh I just love baking. I always bake up a storm when I get stressed, but never eat any of it! What do you guys think so far? Leave me comments on what you think! :) 
> 
> xoxo


End file.
